The Counterforce No. 41

The Ballad Of Buttery Cake Ass audiobook, Charley Stone, Ed Park, John Patrick Higgins, Tim Lane, DLR Book, Fightmilk...

On Thursday June 28th, 1984, Buttery Cake Ass played their last ever show, which was also the record release party for their Live In Hungaria LP, as well as the recording of their second album, Live In Hungaria Live. If you’ve read the book, you know. I am very pleased to announce that on the 40 year anniversary of such an historic date, The Ballad Of Buttery Cake Ass audiobook is now available via my Bandcamp, and soon to be on all the major digital outlets (except for Spot*fy, of course). I am thrilled that it is finally done, and exactly how I want it to be, how I always heard the rhythms of the prose, and the voice, which is very similar to that of my Young Southpaw character. In fact, the first draft was written with Southpaw as the narrator, and then I decided I wanted it to be a little different from that. A little bit more of my real self (and I was amazed how much of my actual life went into a book called The Ballad Of Buttery Cake Ass). I did still keep the digressive nature of the text from that first draft, as if you’re talking to a fellow music fanatic, that’s the way those conversations tend to go. Bless Sam Carlson of The Tines and Sans Serif recording studio in New Haven, CT who put countless hours of work into this, getting it right. We started on this last August and faced many, many challenges along the way - my concussion, his bouts with COVID, financial difficulties, the fact that I could only do the voice for about 2 hours at a time before my throat was ripped to shreds. But it’s all done now, and I’m pleased as punch with it. I hope you’ll check it out. Even after listening to all 7.5 hours four times this past week or so it still makes me laugh.

One of my favourite things is when someone tells me that such and such a tune is how they picture a Buttery Cake Ass song to be like, and about a month ago in the studio Sam told me that Godcaster’s Pluto Shoots His Gaze Into The Sun is how he imagines BCA’s The Most Wonderful Secret In The World. I of course checked it out. Good stuff

After she finished reading the book, Charley Stone (no relation, except by rock n roll) posted a lovely Instagram story about it, saying that she now wants to write and record the tracks from the fictitious Live In Hungaria album. I would absolutely love that. I’ve been thinking lately I should ask some bands to record what they imagine the songs to sound like for a tribute compilation. A very Bill Drummond thing to do. But speaking of Charley Stone (Gay Dad, Salad, Sleeper, Joanne Joanne, Desperate Journalist, Keith TOTP, the list goes on and on…), she’s got a new album out, Here Comes The Actual Band, which I’m enjoying very much. What I love about the record is that not only does it rock, but Charley’s sense of humor really comes through too. On songs like Free Food, I can totally hear Charley’s mischievous smile in the music. Opening track Now is my current favourite

And exciting news on the Desperate Journalist front, their fifth album, No Hero, is due in September. Their newsletter describing it as “our difficult synth album with a thousand guitars or perhaps our difficult guitar album with a thousand synths.” I’m very much looking forward to this. If you don’t know DJ, check out Satellite , one of the best songs of the new millennium. Heck, give it a listen again anyway. Unsympathetic Parts 1 & 2 from No Hero is out now

Andy and Tony from the Life On Books podcast have been raving about Ed Park’s Same Bed Different Dreams so of course it went on my to-read list. When Jim Gavin (creator of Lodge 49) posted on IG about it earlier this month, I knew the time had come. It was his “It is also, like all great novels, deeply concerned with the tragic fate of the Buffalo Sabres” line that sold me. I picked it up straight away. And very quickly got absorbed in it. The book is a history of Korea and intriguing take on the Korean Provisional Government, told in three separate storylines that ultimately combine, and yes, put forth a good amount about the Buffalo Sabres. Of course it’s so much more than that. What I particularly love about the book is the wordplay, the many acronyms, and the sweeping pop culture references. So much so that, as I had bought the audiobook, from very early on I knew I would have to purchase a physical copy as well to truly appreciate the text. I think this is the first time I’ve ever felt that way about a book. It is these qualities, as well as the secret history aspect of the story, that invite comparison to Pynchon, and deservedly so. Though both myself and the Life On Books guys take issue with equating it to Gravity’s Rainbow. Except for one tiny scene - something glimpsed in the clouds on an airborne mission - I see little in common between the two tomes. In the Parker Jotter timeline, I do get Vonnegut vibes, in that here is a veteran writing science-fiction very much influenced by his time in the war. These are the ‘2333’ sections, my personal favourites, dealing with the Korean War fighter pilot’s life and literary career. As a cool coincidental aside, I listened to a good deal of this book on my 4.5 hour round trip into Brooklyn to see The Afghan Whigs and The Church last week, getting this Church song - one of my faves - stuck in my head post-show:

The other two timelines are the present day tech world ‘The Sins’, dealing with the mysterious appearance of this book called Same Bed Different Dreams, and ‘The Dreams’ themselves, which give short scenes from Korea’s complicated history. Another book that sprang to mind throughout was what I remember from Svetislav Basara’s The Cyclist Conspiracy. Do yourself a favor and pick up SBDD post-haste. It’s very funny as well as heartfelt and intriguing, its depictions of the modern world are spot-on while the historical imaginings also ring very true. I’m still impressed with the way Park brings myriad James Bond references to fruition with Korean Air Lines Flight 007.

A very good Life On Books interview with Ed Park

And after seeing a comparison to Wodehouse and knowing he’s got the chops for it, I’ve got my eye on Park’s debut, Personal Days

It’s been a good couple weeks for books, as I have also just thoroughly enjoyed John Patrick Higgins’ Teeth. Powerfully succinct with his turns of phrase, Higgins is funny-as-all-get-out when describing the horrors of everyday life. In this case, paying thousands of pounds to undergo multiple long painful oral surgeries. He deals with celebrity teeth, expecting sympathy from friends and getting ‘advice’ (or nothing at all), music (cool to see mention of The Cleaners From Venus in there), and a whole lot of little things kicking off major mishaps. It might be schadenfreude, though the descriptions of distress and disgust induce much wincing in the reader, and I sure hope my own receding gumlines never give way to require such brutality, especially to my wallet - but this short book, 121 pages, is a delight. I’m jealous of the phrase, written in relation to America, - “manifest dentistry”. And “But what the hell? It’s only vast amounts of my money I’d otherwise waste on memories and experiences” had me laughing out loud. Complete with very amusing glossary too.

When I was in touch with Book Suey in Hamtramck, MI setting up my reading, Cat there recommended Tim Lane’s writing as we seemed to share similar interests. I was immediately intrigued by the title of Tim’s Your Silent Face, being a New Order song I love. We traded books (I love doing this) and was quickly drawn into the story. Anyone who grew up listening to all the brilliant 80s British bands will find something to appreciate here. And although I’m a little younger than protagonist Stuart Page - the book takes place mid-late 80s - Lane captures that late teen angst perfectly, specifically that summer after your first year of college when you’re back in your hometown, still quite tied to it though having begun to branch out beyond, dealing with your limited surroundings while faced with what calls to you from the wider world, here especially Joy Division’s legacy. Drinking too much, working a crap job, heading to strange places at strange hours, tied to old friends and lovers whilst yearning for others, dazzled by folks who offer that bridge to the life you want, this last presented in the character of Nigel, with his poetry, record collection, and minimal family drama. There’s the local club night with the good music but same old songs, the making of mixtapes, the awkward and brief romantic encounters. Lane makes you remember what was great and what was awful about being in your late teens and early 20s, the sapping ennui and the promise of brilliant dreams. There are also a few mentions of Van Halen, which I truly appreciated. Lane has a new book out, Phil’s Siren Song, dealing with the same scene, though through a different focal point, that I’m very much looking forward to reading.

And speaking of Van Halen, I had mentioned the DLRCast in my tour diaries, well, I bought Darren Paltrowitz’s DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed The World and really got to dig in to all the history I missed along the way. The book is pretty quote heavy, though it’s not an oral history, but takes in conversations with a plethora of musicians who have worked with Roth over the years, and others as well, such as his EMT instructor, for that period of time when he was a paramedic in NYC in the early oughts. My favourite tidbit - and I’m still having trouble believing this - is that when Poison had to cancel a gig as opening act on the 1988 Skyscraper tour in Vancouver, hometown hardcore punk heroes D.O.A. were brought in as a replacement! I can’t even imagine. Was it just because VH had the song D.O.A. on Van Halen II?

And as I’m finishing this up, I see there’s a new Fightmilk song out. Awesome! Their usual combo of catchy and acerbic